CIJA Applauds Adoption of IHRA Definition by Vaughan City Council
Cija.ca
Jan. 29, 2020
Today, the Vaughan City Council unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming January 27 to be Holocaust Remembrance Day in the City of Vaughan and adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
In response, Noah Shack, Vice President, GTA, issued the following:
“Today’s adoption of the IHRA definition by Vaughan City Council is an important step in the fight against antisemitism. We applaud Mayor Bevilacqua and all City Councilors for their leadership in setting a strong example for other municipalities.
“While Canada remains one of the best places to live as a minority, Jewish Canadians are the most frequently targeted group for hate-motivated crimes. For Canadian authorities to properly combat antisemitism, they must be properly equipped to identify anti-Jewish hatred in its most contemporary forms.
“Last year, the Government of Canada integrated the IHRA definition into its new Anti-Racism Strategy, and CIJA continues to tirelessly promote its implementation across the country.”
Additional Background
- The IHRA definition now constitutes the world’s most widely accepted definition of antisemitism, having been endorsed or adopted by dozens of countries and bodies -- including the UK, US, EU, France, Germany, and Greece.
- CIJA Policy Brief: Defining Antisemitism and the IHRA definition
- In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) plenary -- of which Canada is a member -- adopted a working definition of antisemitism and list of illustrative examples.
- Statistics Canada data consistently confirms that the Jewish community is the most frequently targeted minority when it comes to hate crime. In 2017, Statistics Canada reported 360 hate crimes targeting the Jewish community -- an average of once every 24 hours.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is the advocacy agent of the Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA.
